New Link Between Pregnancy And Tooth Loss

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The old wives tale "for every child the mother loses a tooth" has some validity, according to a NYU dental professor.

Women who have more children are more likely to have missing teeth, according to a nationwide study of 2,635 women by Dr. Stefanie Russell, an Assistant Professor of Epidemiology & Health Promotion, which was published on the Web site of the American Journal of Public Health.

Dr. Russell's conclusions are based on information on white and black non-Hispanic women ages 18-64 who reported at least one pregnancy in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a representative study of the U.S. population.

"This is the first time we've seen a connection between pregnancy and tooth loss affecting women at all socioeconomic levels in a large, heterogeneous sample of the U.S. population," Dr. Russell remarked.

Profound biological and behavioral changes related to pregnancy and child birth are likely to be a factor in tooth loss, according to Dr. Russell. For example:

Pregnancy can make women prone to gingivitis (gum inflammation). Repeated pregnancies are likely to result in more frequent outbreaks of gingivitis that may lead to tooth loss in women with periodontitis. Two possible reasons for this is because woman may postpone seeking dental treatment due to financial concerns related to having children in addition to the fact that caring for more children may lead a mother to cut back on the time she devotes to her own oral health.

"Although further research is needed on the specific reasons for the link between pregnancy and tooth loss, it is clear that women with multiple children need to be especially vigilant about their dental health," Dr. Russell says.

"We, as a society, need to be more aware of the challenges that women with children may face in getting access to dental care. That means offering these women the resources and support they need - which can be as simple as making sure a working mother gets time off from work to see the dentist."

Temporary Dentures Improve Denture Wearers Self Esteem

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As more people realize how their smile influences their self-esteem, those who are waiting for permanent dentures no longer have to wait to perfect their smile. Temporary dentures are not only economically feasible to wear while waiting for a permanent denture, but they can also aid in a person's overall health and restore a fading smile, according to a study from the January/February 2008 issue of General Dentistry, the Academy of General Dentistry's (AGD) clinical, peer reviewed journal.

According to the study, the most common problems associated with natural tooth loss as reported by patients waiting for dentures are:

• Reduction in ability to chew - 91.91%
• Social embarrassment - 86.35%
• Avoid eating certain foods - 73.83%
• Feel nervous or self-conscious - 68.7%
• Emotional pain - 66.26%

"A smile serves as an individual's most powerful tool," says AGD spokesperson Laura Murcko, DMD. "A great smile can make great, lasting impression, boost a person's self-esteem and confidence as well as improve their overall health."

20 Million False Teeth Can't Be Wrong
However, each year in the United States, over 20 million teeth are extracted, leaving scores of people with imperfect and sometimes devastating smiles. A recent online survey of more than 1,100 AGD members revealed that more than 86% of dentists reported that their patients deemed social embarrassment as a problem associated with tooth loss.

"Unsightly gaps in the mouth do not have to be part of a person's permanent appearance," says Dr. Murcko. While many dentures that help to restore a damaged smile, interim removable partial dentures, also known as temporary dentures provide an immediate and short-term pleasing result.

"They also allow the patient to eat regular food and serve as a space maintainer in younger patients who've lost teeth as a result of trauma," according to the lead study author, Canan Bural, DDS.

When people suffer from tooth decay or periodontal disease, losing just one tooth can be a sign that more teeth will be lost. This means that placing a permanent denture in the mouth is difficult. "When continued tooth loss is expected in a patient, dentists are limited in terms of the type of dentures they can offer to the patient," explains Dr. Bural. In instances such as these, temporary dentures can greatly benefit the patient.

But Aren't Dentures Expensive?
However, people worried about the extra expense of temporary dentures can breathe a little easier because most dental insurance covers at least 50% of the cost for this dental procedure. There is even in good news for those without dental insurance as they can purchase one of the many discount dental plans out on the market which will save them between 30% and 45% off the regular retail price.